Enemy Gate
by bells-mannequin
Summary: Sakura cleared her throat: "What is our aim? To drag the enemy along with us to death—or to avoid loss until reinforcements come?" - Team Seven, saying quiet goodbyes. About being a shinobi, a girl, a boy, a man, a hero. - AU from chapter 484 onwards


© Naruto – **Masashi Kishimoto**  
© Plot – **bells-mannequin****  
**© Prompt No. 58 – **LifeJournal Community**: community. livejournal. com/64damn_prompts /profile  
**Warnings **– Spoiler/AU from chapter 484 onwards  
**Rating **– mentioning of death, maybe-character-death, war, etc - T  
I do not own money with this story and I do not intend to. Yay.

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Well, that was my reaction to chapter 484 and all the stuff that Kishimoto did with Sakura. I mean, it was like in a really _bad_ fanfiction and I was very displeased with how he let Sakura behave, how the Team Seven reunion was so … disappointing.

I didn't really expect Tsunade-sama to awake again—but I'm quite happy about it, so we'll just say that Kakashi can be happy to be let off the hook, right?

Reviewers are always welcome—and since English isn't my first language, I'd be happy about corrections regarding grammar, spelling, phrases and so on as well :D

Have fun,  
bells-mannequin

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**enemy gate**

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Kakashi did not look up from his perverted book—while he knew his two pupils were in the adjoining room and would come in any second—but remained at his new desk. It was years ago since he really _read_ the books—at least those that he already knew. And now there would not be published any new.  
Usually he could stare at the strokes without even recognizing the characters. It gave him a feeling of superiority never to be considered fully alert.

… not that it would ever occur to him to think of explaining his habits like this.

It was just that little Sakura slowly began to analyse like the elite shinobi she would one day become.

(If she did not die in the next few hours, mind you.)

(Sometimes he hated his realism.)

Naruto had changed as well. A few years (a few _months_) ago Kakashi would have to worry about Sakura murdering Naruto out of annoyance—but now there was the silence that accompanied his pupils, an accepting calm.

They had grown. Were grown-_up_.

All three of them.

"Hokage-sama," Sakura entered the room, "Nara Shikaku conveyed us a message. Squad One and Three reached their base. Two and Four are going to take approximately twenty minutes more."

"Reinforcements from Kumo- and Kirigakure?"

"Kiri officially agreed and sends shinobi to Konoha. We do not know any of Kumo or the villages—we did not get any new information for a few hours, however. Kazekage-sama and Temari-san are with the ninja of Squad Four, Kankuro-san with Squad Six."

"We can't wait any longer: We have to attack as long as we have the chance to," Naruto interfered. His tone was the stern, grown-up tone, the one that still surprised Kakashi now matter how often he heard it.

He saw from the corner of his eye that Sakura's eyes widened two-and-a-half millimetres as well—and somehow he was relieved that he was not alone.

"Right." Kakashi got up from his chair. "I hope you know that this is a matter of life and death. It is not just about Konohagakure or Hi no Kuni. This is the Fourth Great Ninja War."

Sakura cleared her throat: "What is our aim? To drag the enemy along with us to death—or to avoid loss as much as possible until reinforcements come?"

"Do you need that for your battle plan with Shikamaru and Neji?"

"… no."

She faced him sadly.

Kakashi laughed shortly and ran a hand through his hair: "I can't differ between Kakashi-sensei and Hokage-sama really well—particularly with Team Seven. I can't give you an answer, Sakura. I wished I could, but I can't."

She could not bear any longer with his look than he could with hers: "Understood."

"The fifth and sixth squad are going to start our attack at the gates of Konohagakure. Until all citizens are going to be evacuated through the underground tunnels approximately three hours will pass. Until then the gates are closed. Until then you will be our enemy just as Akatsuki and their troops."

He breathed out. "Uchiha Sasuke is a nuke-nin. He is officially to be killed."

"Hai." Sakura and Naruto straightened their backs and they said it without any hesitance.

They were shinobi. Sometimes he forgot that.

Suddenly Sakura faced away and turned her back on them. She raised her hands to hide her face and her shoulders jerked softly. They heard her muffled sobs. Naruto took her in his arms and ran his hand over her hair.

Kakashi didn't know how to live on with the pain in his chest.

"We are Team Seven," Sakura said after a few seconds, with eyes that were wet from tears and a tantalized smile. She broke half-away from Naruto and said reproachfully: "You always left me out when it was about Sasuke-kun. You said that you and Sasuke-kun'd die when you'd fight against each other. But I won't allow that to happen. I'm strong, Naruto. Let me help you. Let me help Team Seven."

The kyuubi container stared at her for a moment, stunned. Then he regained his composure and grinned wryly: "Okay, Sakura-chan."

"Say hello to Sasuke from me." The pain grew stronger. It was as if his students were already on the field, battling, bleeding, dying.

(He did not dare to believe they would survive.)

Naruto rubbed his nose with watery eyes: "Don't worry, Sensei. You showed us all what it means to be a real ninja. We'll make Konoha and you proud."

Sakura who saw through him like no one else—understanding in her eyes, and faith, and _love _(_it hurtshurtshurts_)—said: "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Naruto said, sniffing and interlocking his hand with Sakura's.

"Cross my heart and hope to die." Kakashi smiled at his two students, heart beating (slowly, slowly). "I'm already proud of you, don't you forget that."

And without another word they left the room. _Four hours and twenty-three minutes. _

_I wouldn't forgive you if you died, get that?_

_Sure, Kakashi-sensei! __Don't worry about us!_

_We love you. We won't leave you alone._

Kakashi smiled proudly.

But it didn't change anything about the pain in his chest that grew and grew.

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And again: Reviews make my day x)


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